'Hunger Games' support cast wowed by story, star

Thursday

Mar 22, 2012 at 1:41 PMMar 22, 2012 at 1:41 PM

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks jumped at the chance to take supporting roles in "The Hunger Games," a film about children who are forced to compete in a live televised death match in the not-too-distance future.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks jumped at the chance to take supporting roles in "The Hunger Games," a film about children who are forced to compete in a live televised death match in the not-too-distance future.

Why? They were moved by Suzanne Collins' book series and the script that the author helped co-write for the movie, opening in theaters Friday.

"We all agree the book is such a page turner and it's just the storytelling," Banks said in a recent interview.

"You know there are oppressive governments all over the world. We have this class warfare happening between the 1 percent and the 99 percent," she said. "We've got rebellious teenagers who are finally standing up for something. I think that everything that's going on (in the film) resonates in today's world and with today's audiences."

Harrelson said his only issue with the film, and what he and director Gary Ross talked about a lot, was the degree to which Haymitch would be drunk "because I'm always one who likes to go over the top and luckily he pulled me back."